Question Time Online

Each week a panel of politicians, journalist and comment writers is chaired by David Dimbleday as they accept questions from the audience. Each of the three major political parties are represented in order to give each an opportunity for their party and their politics to be represented as the topics of the week are raised and discussed in a lively forum that moves to a different part of the UK each week for broadcast.

In these times of reality television, greatly reduced voter turnouts and general disillusionment with politicians, Question Time stands out as one of my favourite programmes of the week. The public audience allows you to get a feel for the general public view and forces the politicians to face the questions head on. Sure, they will occasionally try to do the thing they do and duck the question, answering it without answering it, but the public audience can always spot that and show them up for what they are. This doesn't have much of an impact of course, but it is always good to see politicians faced with the public's reaction.

I write this having just seen the QT that followed the Hutton enquiry, Geoff Hoon's statement that he knew what the `45 minute' claim actually referred to and that he didn't notice the many, many newspaper headlines that were actually wrong on the subject! The labour MP was forced to face an audience that was sceptical and greeted his statements with derision. Of course, this is sadly only a 60 minute show before the politicians get to hide behind their advisors and media consultants again, but at least it stands up as an arena where politicians have to see that their spin doesn't just wash over us that easy (although it may do in the end!).

Why I enjoy this show is that television has so few political debate shows left. Even the news is more about reports than really pressing political guests over their views. Newsnight has had and will continue to have it's wings clipped after the Hutton verdict but here it is not the BBC putting the questions but the audience - and that makes it easier to do.

I've been a fan of Question Time since it started, it really is essential viewing, David Dimbleby is the perfect host. Each week a guest panel take questions from the Public and argue their beliefs. The panel consist principally of Politicians, but also Journalists, Authors, Commedians, even Charlotte Church and Joey Barton. There was an occasion when they decided to have Katie Hopkins on there too, naturally I switched off. Always healthy discussion, it's been years since I was lucky enough to be in the audience in Oxford, it was so different seeing it for real. If I could ask a question directly to Mr Dimbleby it would be could you please let me know where you purchase your ties, the man has an awesome taste in ties, especially the one with the insects and moths.

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Question Time does exactly what it says on the tin. Its a current affairs program that features political members that represent each of the three main parties and an independent party member if we are lucky. If we are unlucky we get some comic or singer, but more on those later.

Anyway what is it that makes me tune into a poorly time slotted, hour long program that features questions from the general public? Well firstly its the only real program that get politicians to explain themselves and there parties stance on policies. If anyone has seen Prime Ministers questions then they will know how every question is thought out in a way to not make their own party look stupid, this means you will never get a question on why a certain bill that failed to improve or change anything was passed because the other party(s) would have know doubt backed it, Meaning we are left with endless questions like "Prime Minister, When will you stand down?".

The second reason that I tune in is because it one of the only debate programs on TV that don't hold topics like "Will Britney Spears ever get another no. 1 single?"... What sort of people care? I want questions and debates about what is in the Newspapers. This isn't saying that the show doesn't have topics that feature celebrities as a back drop but normally use the situation the celebrity was in rather then the character themselves. For example one question was "Does TV put ratings before safety" using the then recent death of Steve Erwin and the life threatening accident of Richard Hammond. Another was when Jade Goody was in the news for bulling Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in Celebrity Big Brother, it showed the most people (from the audience reaction) don't like this new fad celebrity culture and most of all don't like talentless bullies with no education. It was the only show at the time that didn't make its seem like Chavs rule and Jade was to silly to know what she was doing so she should not face the music therefore.

These questions are few though (Which is a good thing for me as it stops it become something that would be more at home on MTV) and the main part of the show are about political events and the government. Many good debates are raised with this, The most recent being the one about the American air force pilots in Iraq and the video that the government had that showed the incident. What happened was that two US air force pilots killed a British tanker in friendly fire and the family of the solider were not given full details of the incident and wanted an inquiry. The British government had the tape but said they didn't (Which can only be seen to protect US army and not the UK troops that serve them). The Sun newspaper got hold of the tape and released details which meant that the tape could now be used as evidence. What the debate was about was why did the British government put the soldiers family through all that distress and not help them in their quest to find out what happened to their son. Its what I like about this show is seeing politicians who make decisions based on money and public relations, faced who thoughts with human emotions and heart which sees them 9 times out of 10 trying to use spin on answers and say things that begin "We are grateful with the job our forces..." or "Firstly let me just say..." and continue on a different path completely.

What lets this show down is that it seems to think that having popular singers or comics on it will appeal to a younger audience, most youngish people I know think that having pop culture icons on ruins the show. In fact, regardless of age everyone I know thinks that the celebrities on the show are its only akillis heel. Why? Well my opinion is that they are the only ones on the show that consistently appeal for the applause of the audience, in an episode with Beverly Knight when asked about an obese teenage and if the government should step in, she said something like "Its a family breakdown" the audience applauded and she then used this again on a completely different question later in the show about hoddies or something. One other was Scottish Sikh comic Hardeep Singh Kohli, in Scotland and the questions about Scottish independence came up, one member of the panel said Scotland and England have had 300 years of union to be proud of only to be interrupted by Hardeep Singh Kohli to say "300 years of union is one word but 300 years of segregation is a better word". Which got a round of applause and then continued to slag off England till a member of the panel (Who was also Scottish) said this could be call xenophobia. I don't really care about the fact that he said these thing as I see my self a both English and British but what really got to me was that he had revealed that he "Lives In London For His Sins". What a jerk! If he don't like England and feels that Scots are being persecuted why live as far south from Scotland as you can get? I have seen Hardeep Singh Kohli stand up act on the Comedy Store and most of it was at the expense of English women and English culture, after seeing him on Question Time I realized that it isn't an act, he really holds a grudge about something.

Anyway great show, just needs to keep away the Heat magazine fodder.

I used to love 'Question Time'. Under the chairmanship of the late Sir Robin Day in the '80's, it was a lively, stimulating political debate show. However, it now rivals 'Loose Women' for sheer inanity.

We are told each week by David Dimbleby that the studio audience is composed of members of the public, yet I spotted Andrew Tinney ( the Chairman of the Young Conservatives ) on one edition some years back and he unsurprisingly supported the Tory Minister's line on Europe. It got me wondering just how many in that theatre are rabid Tory activists. Some weeks it has felt like everyone is. Apart from being grossly unfair 'Q.T.' makes for dull, repetitive viewing.

The quality of the quests is not what it was either, with Z-list celebrities Shilpa Shetty, Davina McCall, and that-boy-who-used-to-play-Nicky Tilsley-in-'Coronation Street' sitting alongside elected politicians. Basil Brush has not been on it yet, but one day he will. Probably the speaker who got up my nose the most was Ann Widdecombe, a rude, pushy woman disinterested in the views of others.

The guests never miss a chance to play to the gallery. I found this out one week when the question was "Should a 16 year old be allowed to win the National Lottery?". A female S.N.P. councillor replied that the winner could use his/her winnings to pay for school tuition fees. No-one laughed. She repeated the comment in a louder voice, until she got the desired effect.

Occasionally someone in the audience makes a right twit of himself. During a debate on whether the age of consent for gays should be reduced from 21 to 16, a man commented: "I don't hold with it as it is defying God!" to which Dimbleby responded: "So its alright to defy God at 21?". The man was speechless.

Then there was the subject of Colonel Qaddafi's chemical weapons factories - should they be bombed? The questioner was adamant they should not be on the grounds that it was unsafe, but then proposed an alternative: "Send in commandos and get them to blow the place up!". Oh yeah, that would have been much safer, wouldn't it.

A new gimmick is text messages flashing up on the screen. These witty comments range from 'Don't like his tie' to 'what a funny looking woman'.

You come away no wiser about many of the issues being debated. Watch 'Newsnight' instead.